Did you know a standard-sized muffin tin holds just about 1/2 cup of just about anything?
Did you know Ziploc freezer bags are the best invention pretty much ever?
Did you know that if you employ these two basic kitchen tools, you can make your life so much easier?
Whenever I’m able, I make double (or triple) batches of sauces and purees, freezing the bulk of it for later use. From pizza sauce to pumpkin puree and from veggie stock to spinach pesto, my muffin tin gets put to work.
I just spoon or pour the extra into my trusty muffin cups, and freeze for a few hours.
(It can be a little messy. It’s worth it.)
Then I pull the muffin tray out of the freezer, let sit for about five minutes, then I use a butter knife to easily pry the cubes out.
Then I place the cubes in a Ziploc freezer bag labeled with the contents and the date.
Whenever I’m making a pizza, I pull out a cube of homemade pizza sauce and let it sit in a prep bowl for about an hour to thaw, or I microwave it if I’m in a hurry. If I’m wanting to toss some pesto in with some pasta, I pull out a pesto cube. Need a little veggie stock? Hello, muffin-shaped cube.
You get the drift.
I love this little trick.
What are your tried-and-true kitchen shortcuts?
I’m so glad you’re here! I’m a vegetarian home cook, certified plant-based pro, and mom. I’m married to an enthusiastic carnivore, and my mission is to achieve peace in the kitchen – one tasty recipe at a time. These days, with a name like mine, I also try not to ask to speak to the manager.
Is that ever clever!
I’ve done cooked rice, beans, and quinoa in a muffin pan in the freezer too. One or two patties and you don’t have to worry about cooking up a whole bunch every time and having leftovers (especially if you are cooking for one).
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I freeze extra homemade or canned chicken broth in ice-cube trays. Each one is about 1 Tbs. If I have extra (I only have two trays) I’ll freeze the rest in a ziplock back sitting in a bowl that holds 1 cup. Great idea about the muffin tins though – 1/2 cup would be so much better. Thanks!
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Thank you so much for posting this. It has given me an awesome idea. I am battling breast cancer and My 93 year old Mother lives with us and she always don’t want what I have fixed for dinner. My son purchased some frozen dinners for her and she does not like most of the things in the frozen dinners and I can say I don’t blame her.But is is really hard for me on chemo days to take orders and fix something everyone likes. I was racking my brain on how to make her some frozen dinners she would like and easy for me or anyone else to heat up.
Thanks to this tip I just figured it out. I can make and freeze things like mashed potatoes, corn, green beans, even roast, chicken,stuffing,mac & cheese, meat loaf, spaghetti already cooked and portioned and another tin with meat sauce or meatball and sauce.I could even save leftovers and have a good variety, The portions (PERFECT serving size for her) in muffin tins and freeze then pop out and put in freezer bags and even place each bag in a tupperware container so things like beans and corn will not separate when being moved in the freezer.
Then when it is time for her meal (she is not always hungry when we eat) I could place each frozen portion on a plate and put in microwave on defrost till thawed, a minute or two and then heat up.I could even freeze things like gravy for potatoes in mini muffin tins…..wow my brain is just whirling. THANK YOU so much for this tip!!!! You have made my life easier. It’s one of those things like Why didn’t I think of that!!! Evelyn
Such a great idea! My husband is the cook of the house, I’m the baker. I think this will come in handy next time he makes a sauce for something. I’ll be able to ‘save’ some so I can start getting dinner ready all by myself! I wonder if this would for a roux?
We use the silicone baby food freezer containers for bacon grease. We don’t use a lot of bacon or it’s grease but it’s nice to have when you need it
I love doing this. Another tip is using the silicone trays instead of the metal ones – much easier to pop out the frozen meals. In terms of mess avoidance, try using a spring action icecream scoop. It’s about the right size, and quick with very minimal mess. Whatever you’re putting in (think everything from sticky sauces, stews, etc to cake mix when making actual muffins) just comes out nicely.
Looking for a way to freeze applesauce today. This should work great.
A fantastic ideas, also if you like just small desserts, buy a large restraunt size can of mixed fruit, and spoon into muffin pan and freeze. Pop out and put into ziplock gallon bag for single serving later with cool whip on top .